Blockchain Technology in Business Organizations: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The scientific literature on blockchain technology is emerging but increasing rapidly. This review paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the nature and scope of the extant literature on blockchain technology in the particular context of business organizations. To achieve our main objective, we searched five databases and screened 320 papers for inclusion. As a result of the search and screen process, we identified 39 relevant articles. Data coding was first pilot tested and then performed independently by two teams of researchers. All disagreements were reconciled by a third coder. Our findings reveal that most of the extant literature focuses on "how" blockchain technology works and, to a lesser extent, on the "what", i.e. its potential applications and usages in business organizations. For its part, the "why" question, which focuses on the organizational motivations for adopting blockchain technology, was scarcely discussed in prior literature. In short, our findings reveal that many issues and questions remain to be investigated. Based on a gap analysis, we propose a few promising avenues that shall guide future research efforts in this important topic.